5 Steps To A Robust Social Media Presence
Your business created a Facebook page months -- or even years ago -- and no one is actively managing it. Does that mean you’re "on social media?" Not really. The key to a social media presence is just that - being social. The Sandwich Board Approach to social media (where you create an account for everyone to see but do not use it) is worse than no presence at all. It gives the impression that your business does not understand marketing in 2018. A true social media presence is one that is consistently active and relevant. It is a continuous process of refinement to find, keep and engage your target audience.
Here are five pieces of advice for making the most of your social media presence:
Baseline Assessment
Consider your target audience. What do the demographics look like? Who is your customer? Each social media platform has its own demographic. With over 2.2 billion monthly users, it’s hard to go wrong with a Facebook page for your business, but there may be other platforms to consider. There is no need to create a presence on every social media platform. Instead, focus on the best fit for your brand message. Quality, not quantity, is key.
Establish Goals
Set goals and use social media analytics to measure and refine them. Once established, focus your efforts on using social media to converse with your customers. If your goal is to make sales, making every post a 'sales-pitch' post is a sure way to drive people away. It’s okay to sell your product once in awhile, but your social media presence should be much deeper and much more thoughtful than that. Brainstorm content your audience finds valuable. What are the best ways to share this content?
Consistency
A successful social media presence is a time-consuming activity. You cannot just create a presence and leave. In many cases, that actually turns people off when they visit your page and see outdated information. Once you begin posting, stick with it. Each platform has an average number of posts that work best. For example, posting at least 3 times per week, but no more than 10 times per week on Facebook is recommended. On Twitter, surveys show many successful businesses tweet a minimum of 5 times per day, with many tweeting at least 10-20 per day. Whatever posting schedule you decide works best for your business, remember a well-planned digital advertising strategy must go along with your social strategy.
Listen and engage
Once you begin posting, you’ll want to make sure you are listening to what your fans/customers are saying, and responding. It’s called social media for a reason. Create content that is engaging to earn genuine rapport with your fans/followers. Respond to questions and comments as soon as you can, and have a genuine response. Businesses that take good care of their fans online are often recognized with shout-outs from the happy guests…and we all know word-of-mouth advertising is a huge win, even on social.
Analyze & Adjust
Once you try a few different types of posts, you should analyze which ones worked better than others. What days/times drew more engagement? Which posts were shared more than others? With the help of various social media reporting software, you will be able to clearly see what elements it takes to create a successful post -- and then repeat your formula.
Social Media Presence
This is just the tip of the social media iceberg, but the key takeaway is that social media is a commitment that takes on-going management, and more importantly, timely engagement from your business. At Thin Pig Media, we collaborate with each of our clients and then manage the entire process in order to ensure a rich, cohesive social media strategy.
Let us know if you have any questions. Tweet us @ThinPigMedia.